Just vinyl DJ - Which DJ Mixer? RANE Vs A&H

[Alex Corton]

I have been a vinyl dj since 1991. I played out back in the UK but am in the US now and a family man. I still buy and mix vinyl though and get the odd gig. Nothing like the past though. I am looking at a new mixer. I have 2 1210 MKIIs freshly rewired, serviced and starting another 21 years of smooth service, and a rubbish 16 year old Newmark DM1675 which has no LEDs a malfunctioning sampler and my third crossfader is now bleeding again. I've suffered to put it mildly. I play d&b primarily but also a bit of 91-94 old school rave (Crossfader fun) and progressive house. I don't go mad on the crossfader but like chopping up beats now and again. I've been out the loop for a while and don't need a load of PC, tractor, software hook up capabilities. I am looking at 2 mixers at the moment.

1) Rane TTM 56S
2) Allen & Heath Xone 92

I know there's a $550 price difference but I need to know if the extra gadgets are worth substituting for the lifetime possibility of a RANE? A&H are still reliable and I'm not out to win the DMC championship, I do feel like playing around a bit more whilst mixing however.

I've crossed off Behringer, Ecler and I need to be convinced that Pioneer enter the picture.

Any thoughts or helpful input will be valued. I'm buying during the next week or so...

Thanks all!

[bumtsch]

I played briefly on a Rane Empath which you could kind of qualify as a three channel 56 and I really liked the build quality.
The 92 is a tank tailored for the club, the 4 band eq and two filters are a dream... but at home with only two decks, even considering the two points I brought up, I find it hard to rationalize selling my other kidney for one of these.
The 56 has too much of a turntablism oriented layout for my taste so I'd go with the Xone, eventually plop in a better crossfader but that's just me. I'd think considering your tastes a 56 might be a more obvious choice.

Just as an aside, why not Ecler? (who said "why not Zoidberg ?") The Nuo 2/3 are pretty damn good.

[the_bastet]

Rane 56 if you are more hip hop influenced. Xone if you are more mix n blend influenced.

[SlayForMoney]

I played briefly on a Rane Empath which you could kind of qualify as a three channel 56 and I really liked the build quality.
The 92 is a tank tailored for the club, the 4 band eq and two filters are a dream... but at home with only two decks, even considering the two points I brought up, I find it hard to rationalize selling my other kidney for one of these.
The 56 has too much of a turntablism oriented layout for my taste so I'd go with the Xone, eventually plop in a better crossfader but that's just me. I'd think considering your tastes a 56 might be a more obvious choice.

Just as an aside, why not Ecler? (who said "why not Zoidberg ?") The Nuo 2/3 are pretty damn good.

couldn't have said it better
also, what is the $$$ limit?

[bmwnutfrombirth]

Dude, you NEED an Ecler. I have a Nuo 2.0, for the exact reasons you do. I'm not a scratch DJ, but I want to cut when I want to cut. I do ALOT of mobile gigs, and some club work, and with the fader and crossfader curves both adjustable, I can tailor my Nuo 2.0 on the fly to be anything I need it to be. It's got nice fat eq knobs, and -30 db cut off on those eqs. There's also kill switches for the eq. And it'll take an innofader right out of the box. Take a second look. You can get Nuo 2.0 for ~$300 on ebay all day long. And the vinyl preamps sound SWEET!

[matrick]

Given the choice, I'd go with the Xone every day. If you mix/blend, the 4 band eq will have you wondering how it was ever possible with just 3 and as already said, the filters and LFOs are amazing.

you are however comparing an apple to an orange. both are top notch mixers, but designed for different purposes. you should consider your budget, how much space you have, what features are most important to you and what you might need in the future.

[dayvue]

Maybe a lower-tiered A&H mixer would be good for you, like a 42. Great filters, four channels, with an ok crossfader and a nice effects send/receive